Written By Maurisa Zinira
The diversity of religions and cultures that have become the ancestral heritage of the Indonesian nation is on the verge of fading. Although this diversity continues to be glorified as the treasure of the Indonesian nation, the facts on the ground show otherwise. Adherents of the ancestral (indigenous) religions continue to face persecution and threats even though the Administration and Population Laws have been revised to recognize the adherents administratively.
In Minahasa, a land known for its religious tolerance, the LAROMA (Lalang Rondor Malesung), a community organization, which adheres to the Malesung ancestral religion, is still being persecuted. Since 2016, hate speech has been heard in churches, government events, and even at weddings. This hatred continued to heat up leading to the demolition of Wale Paliusan (a place of worship) by surrounding residents. Now, a year after the tragedy of the persecution, Iswan Sual, the chairman of LAROMA, who spoke at the ICIR (Intersectoral Collaboration for Indigenous Religion) #15 monthly discussion on Thursday, July 13, 2023, noted that discrimination still exists in many forms. Along with two other presenters, Febriani Sumual and Mary Silvita, he discussed the experiences and challenges faced by the community amid the diversity of Minahasa society.
Lalang Rondor Malesung: An Ancestral Wisdom
Malesung is the ancestral religion of the Minahasa ethnic group. It is passed down from generation to generation and is believed to be the path of virtue shown by Apo’ Si Nimema’ En Tana’ Wo Lawa’ (God Who Created the Earth and Sky) to the early Minahasa ancestors, Dotu Lumimuut and Dotu Toar. The Malesung religion teaches what is known as tumou tou which means to be a real human being. This expression is part of Minahasan wisdom, which is also the slogan of North Sulawesi Province, Si Tou Timou Tumou Tou that means humans live to be a blessing to others. Therefore, in his explanation, Iswan Sual said that it was Malesung’s teachings that demonstrate Minahasan identity.
Lalang Rondor Malesung itself means the straight path or the right path. This religion teaches that humans must live in harmony with God, fellow humans, and other creatures. The relationship between God and humans is described as that of children and parents, as seen in the mention of God as “apo” which means ancestor.
Malesung beliefs emphasize the teachings of harmony and balance. In one of Malesung’s ancestral messages, it is mentioned:
“Sapakem si kayoba’ang anio’ tana’ta imbaya. Asi endo makasa sa me’em si ma’api’ wetengen e patu’usan, wetengen eng kayo’ba’ang. Tumani e kumeter. Mapar e waranei. Aka’d se tu’us tumou wo tumou tou”
“Anyway, this world belongs to all of us. When a good sign has been given by the Creator, community leaders or role models must share and divide this land, and the mighty man must open new settlements and develop the potential so that descendants can live and live as humans must live”.
The mandate has a deep message that humans should become blessings in life. The phrase “live and give life” means that humans must live to take care of their fellow creatures, not only fellow human beings, but also with the universe. Therefore, the Malesung people have a strong attachment to nature. To maintain equilibrium, they are cautious in their use of nature. In clearing land for settlements, agriculture, or for other businesses, for example, they will first ask their ancestors through a religious ceremony so that the clearing of land does not damage the forest and create imbalance. This wisdom has actually become the virtue of the Minahasa people which they received from their ancestors. But with the invasion of world religions, Malesung’s identity and ideals have taken on new meaning. Malesung, as well as other ancestral religions, lose influence in a society that is increasingly fractured within their separate world religion identities due to the restricted concept of religion.
Fulfillment of Human Rights in Increment
The local community’s strong resistance to LAROMA is conditioned by people’s knowledge of what counts as religion. Malesung, like other ancestral religions, is still categorized as a faith community because it is deemed not to meet the criteria of religion as defined by the government. So even though the Constitutional Court (MK) through MK ruling Number 97/PUU-XIV/2016 dated October 18, 2017, confirmed that faith communities can fill in the religion column with their faith designation, local people still consider them heretical.
Communities of indigenous religions admit that they continue to face persecution and discrimination. LAROMA itself, even though it has been officially registered at the Directorate of Belief in God and Indigenous Peoples, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (KEMENDIKBUDRISTEK), continues to receive threats from residents who oppose their existence. Some of the forms of intimidation they face include administrative difficulties from local governments, the obligation to report any religious activity to the local authorities, and the limited space for expression and practice of religion. They were denied access to the village meeting hall and other amenities, and their beliefs were said to cause the village bridge to fall.
LAROMA was founded as an organization to facilitate the Indigenous Malesung community, which is increasingly vulnerable due to the onslaught of major religions. This community was founded by Sual, who was concerned with the adherents, who had to worship in secret. When performing a full moon ritual, for example, they must enter the forest through a difficult and steep path. Old people often find it difficult to perform this ritual. Therefore, LAROMA moved the ritual of worship to residential areas with the hope that people would become more familiar with and accept its existence. Sual realizes that all this time the Malesung people have tended to close themselves off and stay away, adding to the image of abnormalities. Therefore, he tries to make the LAROMA community open to the outside world and build communication with various communities to gain acceptance and recognition. Through this approach, including providing information about the community through social media content, LAROMA hopes that the public will know them more directly.
The strong discrimination and stigma against the minor faith community are the result of an insufficient solution to the problem from the government. Although the Constitutional Court allowed devotees’ pleas to include a column for minor faith communities in ID cards, regulations released by the Ministry of Home Affairs only allow them to write “Belief in God Almighty” as designation of their belief system. Sual said, “On the ID card, you want to write the name of your religion, not just belief in God Almighty. The government doubts that there will be hundreds of religions, but that’s the reality. It is the duty of the state to facilitate these groups.” Sual further said,
The best solution is to fairly accommodate ancestral religions in the ministry of religion. Because there are those who migrate to the ministry of religion but are still discriminated against and not properly facilitated. The government must give full rights, not half measures, not in installments. Our rights are still being fulfilled in increments.
The struggle for justice for adherents of indigenous religions has not yet been completed and requires intersectoral support and collaboration. Febriani Sumual from Pemuda Adat Minahasa (Minahasa Indigenous Youth), who was also present at the discussion, said that they were committed to fighting for justice for their adherents. According to her, many people in Minahasa are beginning to rediscover their traditional identities. Therefore, the involvement of young people is needed to protect cultural heritage together, as well as to pay respect and appreciation to the ancestors who are the source of Minahasan life and wisdom.
Mary Silvita, from the Center for Indonesian Cultural Initiatives, who attended as responder to the discussion, was optimistic that communities of indigenous religions would succeed in fighting for their rights. She said that the successful repeal of the Administration and Population Law was the fruit of the hard work of indigenous communities themselves. They are the primary actors in the struggle for their rights because activists, NGOs, and academics are the only companions who aid their quest for justice. Therefore, Silvita urges community members to be more confident and outspoken in voicing their civil rights.
The participants in this conversation agreed that the struggle for justice must be carried out together. The Forum Kerukunan Umat Beragama (FKUB, Religious Harmony Forum), as a forum for interfaith communication, must also provide space for the involvement of various communities of faith in the work they do. So far, indigenous communities have built their own cross-faith communication outside of FKUB through Majelis Luur Kepercayaan Indonesia (MLKI, a council charged with indigenous religion affairs), not to compete with FKUB but to voice their views that have thus far gone unheard. Through the involvement of people of religion in FKUB, it is expected that social acceptance could be achieved. Through the cooperation and support of all elements, both the government and civil society, we are optimistic that equitable fulfilment of human rights can be realized. ***
Sources:
Malesung, “LAROMA, Perjuangan Mencari Keadilan”, Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIacZuF6Yh4, accessed August 17, 2023
Satria Adhitama, “Konsep Relijiusutas Kepercayaan Malesung Menurut Organisasi Lalang Rondor Malesung (LAROMA), DHARMASMRTI: Jurnal Agama dan Kebudayaan, Vol 21, No. 2, Oktober 2021. Pp. 53-67
Yayasan LKiS, “Eksistensi Agama Leluhur di Tengah Keberagaman: Cerita dari Minahasa” retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=121gQVrn5_I, accessed August 12, 2023
